Traveling Soldier
by orangeyhairedimmortal
Summary: Maes Hughes is about to go off to the Ishvalan War but since he has no one left at home, he meets a pretty waitress in a cafe named Gracia and asks if he can write back to her instead. She agrees and a love ensues that maybe shouldn't have started, for the certainty of life has no baring on a traveling soldier. Songfic, AU, character!death.
1. Soldier Boy

**Hey guys! New short story for ya to bide the time. I'm in the midst of Hurricane Michael so I'm only going to be able to post every once in a while. Maybe once a week? I'm not really sure. Either way, there is no power or running water at my house so I'm staying with a friend for a second to get some normalcy.**

 **This is a short story based off the song by the Dixie Chicks called 'Traveling Soldier'. If you've heard the song, don't spoil things for everyone else :)**

* * *

It was two days after Maes Hughes had turned twenty-two. He was sitting in a small cafe in his army uniform waiting for the train to head to South City. The war on Ishval had taken a swift turn and the Fuhrer had sent out a mandatory draft for all able-bodied men of Amestris to come and join the fight. Maes didn't really like fighting and really only joined the military to get some experience for free. He wanted to be an investigator and help people solve issues. This whole fighting thing just really wasn't his thing... Besides, ever since his parents died about three years ago, he'd been really lonely. The thought of not even having someone to write letters to or call when he had that free moment was devastating and completely depressing. He sipped on his hot coffee and contemplated what he was going to do. He didn't really like the thought of being all alone like that...

"Can I get you anything else, sir?"

Maes looked up and saw the prettiest sight he had seen all day. A lovely young woman with sandy blonde hair and a sweet smile was his waitress. He had been so focused on what he was going to do that he never even noticed her. He looked at her name tag and saw that her name was Gracia.

"No, thank you, I think I'll be alright... although... Would you mind sitting and talking with me for a little while? I'm feeling a little low..."

Gracia smiled and poured some more coffee for him anyway and said, "I'll be off in about and hour and I know where we can go for some quiet time. When does your train leave?"

"Later today, so I've got plenty of time."

She nodded and Maes smiled a little, happy to be able to talk to someone before he went off to war.

* * *

As promised, when Gracia got off, she went over to the nice young man who was waiting for her at the booth. She put her coat on and walked over to the table. He looked up and smiled, adjusting his glasses.

"You ready?" She asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Do you have a title I should call you by? I don't want to be of disrespect..."

"Oh, sorry... no, I don't have a title. Maes Hughes is just fine. And your name is Gracia, by the name tag?"

"Yes, it is... Are you from Central?"

"Yup, grew up here and everything... I know this may seem a little off the wall and out of place... and probably none of my business, but do you happen to have a boyfriend?"

"A boyfriend? No, I don't; why?"

"Well... I don't have any family so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me sending letters to you or giving you a call when I have that free chance."

Gracia was a little taken aback by the proposal but the sadness in his eyes was enough to not deny the soldier something so trivial. Besides, going off to fight without a soul knowing you're out there is such a lonely feeling and she could tell he was more lonely than anything at the moment.

"Of course you can... May I ask why you don't anyone to talk to?"

"I'm an only child and my parents died a few years ago. I entered the army to get free training in regards to investigations but then this war broke out... I was hoping that I would be able to evade the draft since I was already in the army (sort of) but they said that all able-bodied men had to take up arms and head down to Ishval to help the rest of the troops."

"I see... It looks like it's going to be pretty bad out there, huh?"

"If they need this many people then I would think so... What about, Ms. Gracia? How come you don't have a boyfriend?"

Gracia blushed. "I just didn't want to settle down with anyone as of yet... besides, with the draft going on, I didn't want to get romantically involved with anyone just in case... you know..."

"I understand. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable then..."

"It will be like a pen pal. But who knows? Maybe if you come back, we could give things a try? You seem like a very nice guy."

Maes smiled. "I'd really like that."

They talk discursively for a few more hours until it was time for him to leave for the train station.

While they were there, Gracia gave him her address to send letters to and also her phone number. She then handed him a small picture and he looked at it, seeing it was her.

"What's this for?" He asked with a smile.

"I figured with all the commotion going on, you might forget me. My mother is a bit of a sadist, I guess, and is a little bit extreme in her worries. That horrible murderer that was going around scared her and so she wanted me to have a picture of me in my purse in case something happened to me that made me unrecognizable."

"That's... gruesome..." he said with a nervous laugh.

"I know! I told her that it was like she was asking for it happen... either way, though, I thought you might like to have it."

"Gosh, Gracia, I wish my mother was as paranoid as yours and made me carry a picture of myself around so that I could give it to you." Gracia laughed. "Truthfully, though, I wish I could give one to you."

She waved him off. "I don't need a picture of you. You're safe in here." She said, pointing to her head. "Hopefully... hopefully that's not where you'll always have to stay."

Maes smiled and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I will do everything in my power to get back to you, Gracia. I know I'm not your boyfriend or anything but... maybe I could be?"

"I'd like that very much..." The train's whistle blew and Gracia looked over at it. "You should get going before it leaves you."

He nodded and turned away, heading towards the locomotive when he felt something pull at the back of his uniform. He turned around and found Gracia holding to gingerly between her fingers.

"Gracia?"

"I... I know this sudden but I don't think you'll mind."

She got up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on Maes' lips, surprising him for a second.

Gracia's face flushed a deep red and she looked away.

"I know that was completely out of bounds but..."

Maes moved her face back to his with his finger and bent down, kissing her tenderly on the lips as well. He pulled back when the conductor yelled once more and touched her chin softly.

"I'll do everything in my power to get back here... We'll be a great couple, you and I, I just know it."

Gracia nodded and watched him leave. He took a window seat and waved to her as the many other people letting their loved ones go did on the platform. She waved as the train left, waved as it pulled away from the station completely, waved until it was just a speck in the distance... waved until her tears stopped flowing.

She had made a horrible mistake; she had fallen in love with a traveling soldier...

* * *

 **Sorry if this is a little short. I really can't tell the length on my ipad and there's only so much I can cover with the lyrics of the song. Of course there are some changes to fit the FMA world... Also, because their love is so awesome just in general, of course I had to up the ante just a little.**

 **Here are the lyrics to match the chapter:**

 ** _Two days past eighteen  
He was waiting for the bus in his army green  
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there  
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair  
He's a little shy so she gives him a smile  
And he said, "Would you mind sittin' down for a while  
And talking to me?  
I'm feeling a little low."  
She said, "I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go."_**

 ** _So they went down and they sat on the pier  
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care  
I got no one to send a letter to  
_** ** _Would you mind if I sent one back here to you_**


	2. Letters From the Sky

**the dates are important to the story**

 **also, just remember this is an AU cuz maes' age is waaaay off from canon Ishval War dates. I've made them a little younger than they were supposed to be so that's why mustang is in a lower rank as well. cuz canonically, i think it's like a year or two after the ishvalan war, roy meets ed and asks him to join the military and going with plot-time, roy is 33 when we meet him at the beginning of the story.**

* * *

 **~1908, August 8~**  
 _Dear Gracia,_

 _The South is beautiful. There are lots of rolling hills and green luscious landscapes. It's like I'm riding a train through a sea of grass rather than rolling through countryside. You would like it out here, I think... I know I don't know you that well but you seem like the serene type... I'm not very good at writing letters and there really isn't that much to talk about, but I thought I'd get one started so that you'd know where to send your letters when you can. I'll try to write back as much as possible and it looks like every other Wednesday I get to use the phone. So, maybe you'll hear from me before this letter even reaches you. It's kind of hard to say how the post will run... Anyway, thank you again for letting me write to you and I hope to hear from you soon, whether by the line or by a letter._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Maes Hughes_

* * *

 **~1908, August 15~**  
 _Dear Maes,_

 _I'm glad to hear that you made it to The South with no signs of trouble. I've heard rumor that the Ishvalans have attacked small encampments and I was so afraid you may have been in one of them. I'm glad to hear that you're alright. Your perception of me is quite extraordinary, for I have always wanted to visit The South. From what I've heard about it (except for the skirmish in progress) The South really &is& a beautiful place. I hope you'll make it back and we can talk more about it. I don't want to keep you from your duties, but I hope you'll make it back soon. I'll be waiting for your phone call. It will be nice to hear your voice._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Gracia_

"Are you _actually_ writing to that guy you met at the cafe?" Gracia's friend, Rebecca, said, looking over her friend's shoulder.  
Gracia gasped, pulling the letter to her chest. "Rebecca!"  
"What? It's not a secret. We saw you flirting with him while he was in here before he left. Seriously, Gracia, how could you let yourself just fall in love with someone you just met?"  
"I'm not "in love", Rebecca. You're making it sound more than what is really is. He lost his parents a few years ago, he didn't have anyone to write home to, and I can understand the loneliness. I mean... going off the war without a soul knowing who you are or even caring about you is a little depressing. I wouldn't want that for anyone..."  
"Miranda said that you kissed him at the train station." She said with a knowing look in her eyes.  
Gracia looked at her as she batted her eyes at her friend.  
"Miranda is a busy-body."  
Rebecca smiled. "Aha! So it's true! You only shift blame when you're trying to keep something from being revealed. You little minx! I can't believe you! You are completely smitten with that guy!"  
Gracia's face turned at least three shades of red and she held her letter close to her chest.  
"Y-you're just... you... LEAVE ME ALONE!"  
Rebecca laughed again as Gracia went to take her letter to a safer place where she wouldn't be bothered by prying eyes. She looked over the letter again and then pulled out the envelope. She sealed the envelope and headed down to the post office to send it off. She gave it a kiss and hugged it, knowing that it wasn't going to be the same but she was alright with that. She knew that he would receive her love...

* * *

 **~1908, August 30~**  
Maes looked at the picture of Gracia and smiled at it. When he got back from this war, he was going to ask that girl out. He didn't know that much about her but they connected in a way he thought he'd never connect with anyone. She was smart, funny, and kind and he knew that she would make a wonderful mother... well... he _hoped_ she'd make a wonderful mother. She had to like him enough to want to even go out with him and then to want to marry him and then to want kids. What if she didn't want kids? Maes shook his head. He hadn't even gotten into the fighting yet and he was already thinking about the future. He had to make it out alive before he could think long term.  
"Who's that?"  
Maes looked over his shoulder at his new friend from the State Alchemist branch, Lieutenant Roy Mustang. He was part of the front lines of the Amestrian army and used what he called Flame Alchemy. He was able to manipulate flames and even create them with use of some special gloves he had concocted called 'ignition cloth' that sparked when he snapped his fingers and allowed him to do what he wanted with the fire. It was pretty impressive and Roy seemed to have a good hold of it for someone so young.  
"This is Gracia. I met her before I came out here."  
"She your girlfriend? She's pretty cute." He said with a smirk.  
Maes moved her picture away from Roy, knowing how much of a playboy he was. He would never touch his precious Gracia.  
"No, she's not my girlfriend."  
Roy made a face. "Is... it... someone _else's_ girlfriend?"  
"No! Jeez, Roy, don't lump me in with you with your philandering ways."  
"I resent that statement..." He sat down beside his friend and handed him a small cup. "Here. It's not the best in the world but it's fresh and it's hot."  
"Thanks..."  
"So then if she isn't your girlfriend, why do you write letters to her and have her picture?"  
"Well... I don't have anyone and the thought of no one even caring about whether I lived or died was a little scary. I didn't want to be all alone or forgotten into oblivion..."  
"That's... quite sobering."  
"Yeah... anyway, so I met her while I was waiting for the train and we kind of hit it off. She's very nice and sweet and she even gave me a kiss before I left."  
"You move pretty fast for a dorky looking guy like you."  
Maes made a face at him. "Just because I have glasses doesn't necessarily mean I'm a dork…"  
"I just mean that you don't seem like the type to take it up so quickly. You're the type that likes to ease into the water, not cannon ball."  
" _I_ didn't kiss her, she kiss me, and then I felt like it was kind of right so… we kissed each other."  
Roy laughed and nudged his new friend. "There ya go! When you get out of here, you'll have to definitely ask her out."  
"You mean if I get out of here _alive_ "  
Roy made a face. "Don't say that. Be positive…"  
"This is war, Roy. Thinking that we're invincible is like believing that the sky is purple. Doesn't matter how good you are at something, there's always chaos lurking at the corner and it doesn't care who it effects."  
"I know that; I'm not saying completely believe that nothing will ever happen to you, but you can't focus on that or you'll go crazy. Just write your letters and keep her informed that you're alive. Time will fly by and then one day you'll be writing her that you're coming home."  
"Yeah…"  
"Hughes!" Maes looked up from the table. "Phone's yours, thirty minutes."  
Maes got up as quickly as he could as he fished Gracia's number from his pocket. He practically fumbled with the receiver he was so nervous about talking to her for the first time in a month or so. He hoped she was home… The phone rang a couple of times as Maes waited with bated breath.  
"Hello?"  
"Gracia?"  
"Yes, this is she."  
"It's me, Maes…"  
"Of course it is, silly; who else would be calling from a military line?"  
"Right! Right… um… so… how have things been?"  
"It's been alright. Nothing's really changed… I've heard some scary news reports on the radio though. Are you doing alright?"  
"Yeah, we haven't even entered the fight yet."  
"Well that's good…"  
They talked for the rest of the thirty minutes about as much stuff as they possibly could think of when Maes was called to give the phone to the next person.  
"I have to go now, Gracia. There's a lot of soldiers over here so I don't really know when I'll be able to give you call again. I thought that they would have a schedule but I guess all they can do is give time slots."  
"That's alright. We still have letters and stuff. I look forward to them every time I go to the post office."  
"And I look forward to yours when they call out for mail."  
"Hughes, you're going overtime. There are over one hundred other soldiers who want to talk to their families." The commanding officer growled.  
"I really have to go though. I hope to see you again."  
"You have my picture, so you'll see me a lot. Please be safe."  
"I will."  
He hung up the phone with drudgery and went back to sit down.  
Roy smirked at him. "So…"  
"Her voice is like an angel…" He said, practically melting into his seat. "I could listen to her go on for _days_."  
Roy rolled his eyes as he eyed the young blonde woman across the mess hall. She was sitting by herself and eating her dinner, not caring about the clamor of voices in the room. She must have sensed his staring because she looked up suddenly. Roy gave a small wave and she gave a half-smile; something new from the usual.

* * *

Gracia hugged her pillow to her chest as she held the phone to her ear.  
"Guess who I just got off the phone with?!"  
"Who?" Rebecca asked.  
"Maes!" she practically squealed.  
"You're still talking to that guy? It's been weeks…"  
"Yeah, just weeks. Why are you acting like that's a long time?"  
"I just thought you were going to forget about him in a couple of days or something. I mean, it's not like he's actually your boyfriend."  
"He could be… when he gets back he could want me to be his girlfriend."  
"You mean _if_ he gets back."  
Gracia gasped loudly and sat up in her bed. "That's a horrible thing to say!"  
"I'm not saying it to be mean, I'm saying it because this is war. There are casualties all the time… I wouldn't hold out for him like this. You'll only hurt yourself in the end."  
Gracia made a face that her friend couldn't see. She knew the dangers of putting her love into a traveling soldier, but she just couldn't get him out of her mind! His deep black hair had been so neat and slicked back, save for a small antennae looking hair and his eyes! Oh those oddly colored eyes that seemed to switch from a yellow color to green in a matter of minutes. It reminded her of a lemon and a lime… "I know that… it's just… I think I might be in love."  
"Aaand that's why I said to drop it the first time… Hun, I just think he's a little old for you."  
"Old? What do you mean? You've never met him."  
"You're barely out of schooling and working in a café until you can get a place for yourself. I highly doubt if he was already in a division in the military that he was in the same situation. He was probably in military training for years before he finally got out."  
"So? It's not like I'm a tiny teenager or something. He didn't seem that much older than me. What do you know? You didn't even see him."  
"I'm just going off of what you told me about him. The fact that he was called from a division he was already in for the war means he was in the army for a good while."  
"If he went into it right after schooling then it would mean he has only been in it for five years or so. That's not the point, Rebecca…" She sighed angrily. "What do you know? You never met him or anything…"  
"I'm sure he's a great guy, Gracia, and it's true, I've never met him. I may be going about this all wrong but you can't deny the real facts of the matter."  
"And that is?"  
"There is a 50/50 chance of him coming back unscathed or at all… You can't deny that."  
"No… no I don't…"  
They talked for a little while longer as Gracia tried not think about the negatives of loving a traveling soldier.

* * *

 **oh dear it looks like these two lovebirds just can't get enough of each other even though they've only met once. be careful gracia, your friend is only trying to protect you from heartache...**

 **corresponding lyrics:**

 _ **Never gonna hold the hand of another guy**_  
 _ **Too young for him they told her**_  
 _ **Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier**_  
 _ **Our love will never end**_  
 _ **Waitin' for the soldier to come back again**_

 _ **So the letters came from an army camp**_  
 _ **In California then Vietnam**_  
 _ **And he told her of his heart**_  
 _ **It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of**_


End file.
